Anonymous Surveys

The suggested procedure for anonymous surveys.

Subjects are recruited through advertisements, announcements, etc. without coercion. Professors, coaches, or other individuals having direct supervision of the intended audience may announce the opportunity but can not be the contact person for recruitment. Surveys can not be distributed, supervised, or collected by an individual with direct supervisory capacity over the participant.

An IRB approved informed consent is read to the participants in a group setting and the informed consent is contained on the survey. If a survey is truly anonymous, there should be no opportunity for participant to sign an informed consent or identify themselves in any way on the survey or associated forms. Implied consent is obtained by completing the survey. If a prospective participant does not complete the survey, it indicates that he/she did not consent. The consent is only obtained by completing the survey.

All surveys should be distributed and returned in a blank envelope. This negates any knowledge of whether a prospective participant has participated or not.

Participants are supplied with a writing implement. It is at the discretion of the prospective participant to complete the survey or to merely place a blank or partially complete survey into the provided envelope.

Envelopes will be placed in a container by the prospective participant.